Events

Cheltenham will host a major snooker tournament for the first time in February 2019 when the Coral World Grand Prix comes to the town.

The world ranking event will run from February 4th to 10th in The Centaur, part of the famous Cheltenham Racecourse. Fans in the Gloucestershire area will have the perfect chance to see the best snooker players on the planet competing for a prestigious title.

The Coral World Grand Prix will feature the leading 32 players on the 2018/19 season one year ranking list, starting with July’s Riga Masters and ending with the final counting event, the German Masters which finishes on February 3rd.

With extensive live television coverage from ITV4, the tournament offers a top prize of £100,000 from a total prize fund of £375,000.

Last season the Coral World Grand Prix was staged in Preston, with Ronnie O’Sullivan beating Ding Junhui in the final.

The top 16 on the one year ranking list will go on to compete in the Coral Players Championship in Preston (March 4th to 10th) and then the top eight will progress to the new Coral Tour Championship in Llandudno (March 19th to 24th).

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “We are thrilled to bring the Coral World Grand Prix to a new location at the fantastic Cheltenham Racecourse. As well as being world famous for horse racing, this is a superb venue which hosts a wide range of major events and we have no doubt it will prove a top class facility for one of our leading tournaments.

“From the moment the very first ball is struck at the beginning of the new season, players will be striving for every pound to get themselves up the one year ranking list and earn a place at the three highly lucrative events which will take place early in 2019 in Cheltenham, Preston and Llandudno. There will be star-studded fields at all three venues.”

Lee Moulson, Regional Head of Sales at Cheltenham Racecourse, added: “We couldn’t be more excited to be hosting the 2019 World Grand Prix here at Cheltenham Racecourse. The Centaur is a fantastic venue for an event of this type and we are delighted to be hosting snooker at the Home of Jump Racing for the first time. We look forward to working on the event over the coming months, next Spring will be a busy time for us with the snooker in February and the world famous Cheltenham Festival the following month.”

The 2018 Coral World Grand Prix ran from February 19 to 25 at the Guild Hall in Preston. Ronnie O’Sullivan won the title, beating Ding Junhui 10-3 in the final.

It was staged for the first time in 2015, in the town of Llandudno in North Wales. It is contested by the top 32 players from a unique ranking list. Judd Trump won the inaugural title, beating Ronnie O’Sullivan 10-7 in the final. The tournament is televised by ITV4. In 2016 it became a ranking event for the first time and was won by Shaun Murphy, beating Stuart Bingham 10-9. In 2017 it took place at the Guild Hall in Preston with Barry Hawkins beating Ryan Day 10-7 in the final.